Boulder to require bear-resistant trash cans in alleys west of Broadway

Policy will come back for formal vote in February, then March

A bear cub sits in a tree on University Hill on Sept. 3. The cub was with its mother and a sibling. After four bears were killed by rangers in Boulder last year, the city is moving to require bear-proof trash cans west of Broadway. (Paul Aiken / Daily Camera)

Boulder residents and businesses west of Broadway whose trash is picked up in alleys will be required to use bear-resistant containers starting this spring or keep their trash in secure enclosures at all times, the Boulder City Council said Tuesday.

The City Council won't vote on an ordinance to that effect until February and a second reading and public hearing isn't expected until mid-March, but council members were nearly unanimous in supporting a staff recommendation that Boulder require bear-resistant containers west of Broadway, north of Greenbriar and south of Wonderland Lake.

The policy will be implemented first in alleys this spring and then throughout western Boulder. The enforcement area could be expanded in the future at the discretion of the city manager if bear activity increases in those areas.

Boulder already was working on a new policy on bears and trash, but the issue was expedited after wildlife officers killed four bears last year. Many residents called for the city to take action to make the city less attractive to the animals.

Boulder Urban Wildlife Coordinator Val Matheson said city staff had originally considered a policy that would require people to secure their trash until the morning of pickup, but many bear biologists said bears will change their habits if trash is available in the early morning hours.

That led to the recommendation that trash be secured at all times.

City Council members asked that the ordinance allow residents to avoid the cost of a bear-resistant container if they have a secure enclosure or keep their trash in the garage.

However, they would have to have an agreement with their hauler that the hauler go into the enclosure and get the trash and that it never be outside unsecured. Some haulers, such as One Way, which is more popular in the mountains, provide that service.

The requirement also will apply to the large Dumpsters behind rental units.

Discouraging bears

Councilman Andrew Shoemaker, who lives on University Hill, noted that these Dumpsters often are overflowing in violation of existing ordinances.

"Only in Boulder do bears bring to light the lack of enforcement," he said.

Councilman George Karakehian asked how long it will be until bears move east of Broadway as trash is harder to get at in western Boulder.

Mathesaon said it is entirely possible that will happen and that the enforcement area will have to expand. However, western Boulder lies in an interface between the bears' natural habitat and urban areas rich in trash. Wildlife officers said bears are increasingly not just feeding in Boulder, but actually living in town.

"We do think that securing this band from their natural habitat to Broadway will discourage them from living in Boulder," Matheson said.

Councilman Macon Cowles asked how much evidence there is that bears will find unsecured trash that is out for just a few hours on the morning of pickup.

"Do we have evidence that bears are actually that smart or is this just something that we've heard?" he asked. "Because if we don't have evidence, I'm hesitant to make everyone bear this expense."

'Better trash out there'

Matheson said she will provide more concrete information on bear habits when the ordinance comes before council, but bear biologists agreed that trash needs to be secure at all times if a policy is going to discourage the animals.

"There's a sense that if you've never had a problem, you're never going to have a problem," she said. "And the answer is that there's just better trash out there than your trash. If we only address the people who have had a problem already, we're just displacing the problem."

The City Council also supported raising the fine for improperly secured trash from $100 to $250 and waiving the requirement that code enforcement officers directly serve a violation.

They said people who don't have bear-resistant cans should be able to reduce the fines by buying cans, but they shouldn't be able to avoid fines entirely.

Western Disposal officials have has said they believe they can significantly reduce the monthly costs for bear-resistant cans if the city requires them in a broad area.

City officials hope to have the cans on the street by June.

Matheson said bear activity tends to be less in the summer and then spike in the fall.

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